


The Alien

by Vinnocent



Series: Morphing Human [7]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate, Being Human (UK), Being Human (US/Canada)
Genre: Abandonment, Adolescent Sexuality, Blood and Gore, Book 8: The Alien, Brainwashing, Consent Issues, Dystopia, F/M, Fictional Slurs, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Panic Attacks, Self-Sacrifice, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-11
Updated: 2014-03-25
Packaged: 2018-01-15 09:11:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1299526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinnocent/pseuds/Vinnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on books 7 & 8 of the Animorphs series, The Stranger and The Alien, the Earthling portion of the team tries to make Ax feel at home on Earth while he tries to sort out Andalite ideals with new ideas of morality. Meanwhile, the team finally takes on the Kandrona generator.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Playing Through (Tobias)

My name is Tobias. I died. I don't know how or why, but I didn't discover I was dead until an alien crash landed in a construction site among me and some friends who could kind of see me. An Andalite. He wanted to warn us about the Yeerk invasion, about these other aliens -- little ones that crawl in through your ear and take over your brain.

He'd had no idea I was there. I reached out to touch him, to help him, and my fingers passed right through. I was dead. A ghost. I had been for some time. Dead and helpless and completely unnoticed as I watched him die. As I watched him sacrificed his life for everyone on this planet but me.

I guess it got to me. I wanted to prove something to him. That I was here. That I could live up to a sacrifice I hadn't been given. My friends remind me that I have the least to lose. That I'm one of the biggest risks. But I would do anything to fight. With or without them. Even if, in the end, I am only a brief thorn in their side, I _will_ hurt the Yeerks. For him. For the alien. Prince Elfangor.

But there's something more. My friend Cassie told me that he'd asked for a Tobias. For protection for Tobias. That when Jake stopped and yelled for me to leave Elfangor alone, to go running with the rest of them, when I could not be seen, there had been a sense of confusion from him… and then great pain.

Why? What did he know? What could possibly be special about me?

* * *

"You're really bad at drawing."

Marco groaned, balled up the pieced of paper, and tossed it in the trash. He rubbed his eyes. "I've seen you throw Hork-Bajir. You can't hold a pencil?"

I shrugged. "It comes and goes." I backed away from hovering over him since I didn't need to see his work anymore. "Are we going to tell Cassie?"

Marco groaned. "I don't know. Obviously, nothing's going to be done without telling everyone, but… on the information level?"

"But we can trust Ax, can't we?"

"I don't know, Tobias," Marco snapped. Then he glanced over his shoulder at me. "Why, did you say something?"

"No, it didn't really come up." I fidgeted. Rachel told me I needed to stop doing that, that it gave too much away.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Something up?"

"You'll think it's dumb," I grumbled.

"I think a lot of things are dumb," he said, snorting. "I think this war is dumb."

I glared at him. Then, I looked out the window. A pigeon was murdering a potted plant on the balcony. I don't think Marco really cared. "Well, I thought… I mean, he built that thing so he could see me, so I kind of thought like…"

"That Ax wants to be your friend?" Marco asked. "Let me guess, everything seems roses until suddenly he changes the subject or doesn't want to talk at all or you start to get the feeling that you're a science project and not a person?"

I frowned. "You, too?"

He nodded. "Everyone, I think. Everything's three steps forward, two steps back with that guy." He sighed. "But he _is_ the only Andalite on this entire planet, and he's living among a population infected by his enemy. I guess that sort of thing makes a guy cagey."

I was relieved. I hadn't thought of that. "You think?"

Marco shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe? I'm not--" There was a knock on Marco's door followed by it opening. He seemed surprised to see Jake there. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I wanted to talk to you, and…"

"We couldn't talk elsewhere?" Marco demanded. He looked angry, but I didn't know why. I thought Jake and Marco hung out all the time?

Jake sighed dramatically. "Look, I tried to call, but your line has been tied up. When I came over, I tried insisting on inviting you out because of the 'no vampire invitations' rule, but your dad brought me in pretty much immediately."

Marco made a face. "Fine. I guess. But I want my annoyance noted."

"It always is." Jake shut the door behind him and waved at me. "Hi, Tobias. What's up?"

I glanced at Marco. I still was not clear on whether we were talking about the Kandrona generator or not. "Uh… stuff."

"Sounds thrilling." He glanced back at Marco. "I hope I'm not interrupting with an invitation out?"

"Out?" Marco repeated.

"Yeah. Rachel's been wired since the you-know-what. Cassie needs a buffer. And please tell me you've noticed Ax."

Marco snickered and nodded toward me. "We were just talking about that. I am all up for distraction. Do you have a thing in mind?"

"Not all the schools have off today, and it's a Monday anyway," Jake said. "We hit a pg-13 movie at noon, and it'll be pretty deserted, which means Rachel and I won't feel stifled and we don't have to worry about Ax being weird. Rachel can also get her mall fix without dragging Cassie to the sales racks. Everybody gets to hang out until Ax's morph time is up, but no one has to say anything." He put up two fingers. "Peace."

A broad grin spread across Marco's face. "Dude, I could kiss you." He looked at me. "Well? When's the last time you went to the movies?"

"Dude," I repeated, suddenly distracted.

Marco's face fell, confused. "Hm?"

"I wonder what happened to my cat." I looked out the window again as though that might offer a clue.

Marco just stared. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"He has a cat named Dude," Jake told him. "Well... _had_."

"That is a terrible cat name," said Marco, and Jake kicked his chair.

I smiled. "What's showing?"

Of course, a nice relaxing morning in the mall theater actually resulted in Jake and Rachel forcibly hauling Ax out about ten minutes in.

"Okay, I think we have learned a lesson here," Jake said. "No chocolate for Ax."

"You _think_?" Marco repeated, rolling his eyes.

"Chocolate? Chock? Chock-lit?" Ax sounded out the word. "The brown globules are called chocolate? What about the brightly colored pellets?"

"Actually, the globules are called Raisinets," I informed him. "The pellets are M&M's. Both are chocolate products."

"I wonder if every species has a food trigger like this," Rachel wondered. "Vampires: blood. Taxxons: meat. Andalites: chocolate. Humans: coffee…"

"Please do us a favor, Rachel," Cassie started, but Jake interrupted.

"Are you okay, now, Ax?" he asked. He was badly hiding a smirk.

Marco was looking straight down at the ground. "Don't laugh, man. If you laugh, I'll laugh, and then it's all over."

"Is it?" Ax asked, suddenly concerned.

"Marco's expressing a common exaggeration, Ax-man," I explained. "Don't worry about it." Marco's hand went to his mouth, and he turned away from the group. Jake grinned at him. The girls' frowns were starting to crack. I ignored them to address him as directly as the limited ability of his morph allowed. "But are you okay?"

"I am fine," Ax admitted somewhat shakily.  "I… the flavor! It was just so wonderful."

"Is your friend alright?" Everyone turned suddenly to face a woman who seemed somehow very familiar. When I saw her dark sunglasses and her big German shepherd in one of those helper dog harnesses, I realized why she looked familiar. She was the eyeless woman. One of the humans being farmed for blood in the Yeerk base of the future that the Drode had showed us. Someone who had resisted too much to be of any other use to them.

I felt sick, meeting her almost thirty years younger. Knowing how badly we might disappoint her.

"Uuuh…" Marco bumbled.

"Just tell her everything's fine," I grumbled.

She turned to me. Directly to me. "Why can't you tell me?" Her dog growled and barked at Jake. "Public, Champ," she chastised, and Champ was quiet again. It was terrifying how it could go straight from loud and angry and showing teeth to content and bored next to its master.

I think Marco had the same thought. He leaned down to touch it. "Oh, wow, what a cool--"

She pulled Champ immediately back. "It's rude to pet a working dog, and downright stupid to approach an animal that has displayed aggression."

"Uh. Yeah. Of course." Marco grinned and pulled his hand away. "What was I thinking?"

"I have no idea." She nodded toward the group again. "I want to know if your friend is alright. That was a very public fit back there."

"I am fine," Ax said. "Eye. Un. Fiiii."

The woman frowned. "You're certain?"

"Yessuh," Ax answered. Marco rubbed his face, attempting to hide deep embarrassment. As Jake pulled Cassie aside, she glanced at Rachel worriedly.

"There's nothing you want to tell me?"

"No, strange woman, there is not. Iz naht. Issnot. Aaaanjuh."

She tilted her head. "You remind me of someone." She shook her head. "Get yourself some better friends, kid. And you?" she asked, pointing right at Rachel without turning toward her.

"Uh, yes?" Rachel mumbled, stepping back slightly. I recognized her tone of feigned innocence.

"Give me back the stake you just pilfered like I'm not going to notice when a hunk of wood is suddenly missing from my pocket."

Rachel swallowed and slowly stepped forward and carefully placed the wooden stake back in the woman's outstretched hand like she thought a bear trap was about to snap shut on her. Jake was rigid with anticipation. His eyes were fully black, and I'm willing to bet his fangs were out, too. Rachel, however, stayed human.

The woman pocketed the stake. "Like I said. You all need better friends. Champ, Left." She started to walk away.

"You need to mind your own business," Jake snapped.

"Champ, Heel." She turned back to Jake. "Thanks to Chapman, I'm doing plenty of minding my own. Thank you for your concern. Champ, Sit. Champ, Stay." She stepped away from her dog, toward Jake.

Jake stepped back.

She struck a finger at him. "You remember though, leech. You think. Just because one shepherd has left the flock does not mean that the wolves have free reign. There are others. There are always others. We will wipe you from the face of the--"

"Wolves are an over-hunted endangered species," said Cassie.

The woman's face fell. She and Jake both wore and expression of confusion, though neither turned away.

Cassie blushed. "Just thought I'd point that out."

"Is she shitting me?" the woman asked.

Jake shook his head. "I don't think so."

Rachel pulled Jake away from the woman. "Okay, well, nice meeting you, but if you're _not_ going to kill us, I think we'll just be on our way." They ran off.

The woman snapped her fingers. "Champ, Come." The dog walked its harness handle straight into her open hand. We watched them leave.

Ax appeared nervous. "Prince Marco, I am sorry that I--"

"Don't worry about it, man. We didn't know this would happen." He turned and looked after the way Jake and Rachel had gone. "Anyone in the mood to catch up and make sure they're not dead?"

"I could do it," I said.

Cassie must not have heard because she said, "I kind of feel like heading back home after all that anyway. I think they're on my way. I'll call you when I get home."

Marco nodded. "Thanks."

"Should I go with Cassie?" asked Ax.

Marco tilted his head. "I'm going to go home and play some 'primitive' video games. You in? You still have enough time on that morph to get there and remorph in my closet."

Ax grinned.


	2. Let's Play a Game (Marco)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My name is Marco, and as if being leader of alien-kicking kids of miscellaneous flavors of weird wasn't bad enough, some of them are REALLY PISSING ME OFF RIGHT NOW

* * *

"Awe, come on," I grumbled, when the Sega wouldn't turn on. "Tobias, are you doing something?"

"Why do you always blame me?" Tobias whined.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know, maybe the flickering lights?"

"I haven't done that in ages."

"You did it yesterday." I looked over my shoulder at Ax, who was investigating our computer, now in his strange almost-Jake morph. I wasn't really sure which human morph was worse, though I had to say the one made from me and Cassie was definitely prettier. "Hey, leave that alone," I warned him. "Dad has to work on it. He's laid up with a broken ankle, so if he comes in, you two keep the weirdness to a minimum."

"I told you, that time wasn't me," Tobias continued.

I shot him a glare, and then I tried hitting the Sega.

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll fix it."

"You never know."

"I will not be weird," Ax assured me from the close proximity of the computer. "Weeeerd. Weeeeer-duh. I will act like a normal human."

I exchanged glances with Tobias. I started pulling at the Sega's cords. And by "cords," I of course meant "rat's nest." It was a ridiculous sort of magic. We'd only just moved into this place. "You act normal, and you'll win an Oscar," I grumbled.

"Hey, Marco?" asked Tobias.

"Hi, Tobias."

"Is that human sarcasm?" Ax asked. "Azzz..."

"Yes," answered Tobias.

"No, it's everyone's sarcasm." I untangled a controller and tossed it aside. I might have been feeling snippy. It seemed like even the smallest plans we'd make would go horribly.

"Ax, Marco said to leave that alone."

"Marco did indeed," I agreed, fussing with another controller.

"I was just wondering if you noticed anyone seeing me today," Tobias pushed, finally returning to his own conversation.

I scowled. "The objective was for people to not see you. Hence the popping around."

"Yeah, I know, but… But Cassie didn't see me…"

"Ax can't see you now. You keep replying to him, but he's not replying to you." I saw Tobias flicker at the edge of my vision. So did the lights. Shit. I shouldn't have said that. "Is this about the blind lady?"

"Yes," he said.

"Yeah, well…" I yanked a cord out. "She was blind."

"I don't think blindness is a superpower, Marco."

I shrugged. "I really don't know, Tobias. Maybe she's just better at it than Cassie. There's probably a range to this stuff. Try not to think about it too hard."

"Says the person whose existence doesn't hinge on people noticing him."

I probably should have said something to that, but Ax, in his not hearing, decided to make it worse. "It is indeed a mistake to overthink the abilities of vecols."

Tobias cocked his head quizzically. He has a lot of jerky, strange ways of moving. Particularly when he's not all-together. "Is that what that word means?"

I shook my head. "Can't be. He called Cas--" I looked at Ax, who, against my wishes, was bothering the computer. Some things were starting to link together, and I didn't like the image it was painting. "Ax, what does that word mean?"

He glanced at me. Then, he turned back to the computer.

"Goddammit, I told you to--"

"Hello?" my dad asked, entering the room. "Jake, please leave that alone; I'm working on it."

Ax stared at him in confusion, and I drew a blank on what to say. Dad knew me and the real Jake better than anyone else. Tobias pulled on Ax's sleeve. "Hey, he means you. You're Jake."

I groaned rubbed my eyes. "Sorry, I wasn't keeping an eye on him. We were going to play a game, but the Sega isn't working." I glared at Ax. "Maybe he should go home and feed his dog or something."

"Fee-eed?"

"Yeah, I think I have homework to catch up on. Think you can find your way from here?"

Ax looked confused, but he left. I apologized to my father again for "Jake" messing with the computer and headed up the stairs, Tobias trailing behind me. "That was rude, you know."

"He started it," I grumbled.

"He didn't even know he was though," Tobias insisted. "You know how he is around human stuff. It's all just really fascinating."

"Yeah, like Zoo Day."

Tobias frowned. "It's new, okay?"

I slammed my door shut and turned on him. I hadn't realized I was upset until then. "Tobias, he calls blind people and people that can see ghosts by that same word! That word that-- God, I don't even _have_ to know what it means! I can hear it in the tone!"

"What tone?" he asked.

I laughed. "Come on, man, you know what I'm talking about."

Tobias did that head tilt again. "No?"

I stared at him. "Just to be clear, you're hearing a tone now, right?"

Tobias blinked at me. "Uh… You mean… Annoyed?"

I groaned and rubbed my eyes. I stepped away from the door. "Yeah, never mind."

"Do you want to work on the Kandrona plans again?" he asked.

I fell back onto my bed. "Ugh, might as well. Obviously, vacations are for bad people." I glanced over at him. "Think you could take a camera in?"

"I can't even hold a pencil."

"Okay, but when you're feeling better?"

Tobias frowned. "I thought you didn't want me bringing attention on myself again."

"I don't," I agreed. "But weighed against actually being able to strike the kandrona? You saw Tom-of-the-future make a move directly for it. You know what it looks like and where it may be. Tobias, we could actually starve them out."

"Or maybe they just build a new kandrona generator."

I snorted. "Now, you sound like me."

"Hey, it's a good plan. It's my plan," Tobias insisted. "But if you're so insistent that my participation risks--"

"Tobias, I am _telling_ you that I'm not insisting that right now. It's a bigger risk to ignore them when we _could_ cripple them, to let them keep crawling closer and closer to our families and our friends. To our se--"

"MARCO!"

I jumped. I ran to the door in a panic, right through Tobias. "WHAT?!"

"WHAT DID JAKE DO TO MY COMPUTER?"

My heart seized in my chest. I ran down the stairs. "What do you mean what did he do to the computer?"

"It's… it's… hold on…" Dad started talking on the phone to someone. "No, of course, I'm looking at it, Jerry. I'm not…" He fussed with the computer distractedly. "What does this even do?"

"He messed up your program?" I asked. I thought my dad was going to be fired. In that moment, I thought my dad being fired was the worst thing that could possibly happen.

"No, he improved it," Dad told me with a look of utter bafflement.

I'd been wrong.

"He improved it in ways we can't even quite understand yet. With intelligence like this, he could win Nobel Prizes. Do you understand what we're looking at here, Marco? It's possibly a new field of science!"

"Whoa! Whoa, slow down!" I said quickly. "This is Jake we're talking about, okay? It was probably an accident."

"An accident?" Dad repeated.

"Yeah a fluke. Like those chimps on the typewriters."

"That's not an actual thing, Marco."

"You know what I'm talking about, though." I gestured for the phone. "Let Jerry go for a minute. I'll call Jake. He'll come back over. You can interview him and see exactly how big of an idiot he is." And then I could murder an Andalite.

Dad considered it. Then, he told Jerry he'd call back in a little while.

* * *

<What is the matter?> that stupid fucking blue freak of nature dared to ask as I started my demorph in front of his scoop.

<What's the matter?> I demanded. <You're asking what's the matter? I'll tell--> The thought-speak cut out, just then. I was so angry that I just kept talking, which came out as an unfortunate squawking.

Cassie was demorphing elegantly next to me, like an angel unfolding into a more familiar form. Ax said some people had a natural talent for it. I was in no mood for that bullshit at the moment.

"What did you _do_?" I demanded loudly the moment that I could.

His stalk eyes tilted. One hoof moved backward. <I don't understand the question.>

Oh, he didn't _understand_. "My dad's computer," I snarled. "You did something to it, didn't you?"

Ax spread his hands and said, <I... I merely played the game.>

I gawked at him. "Game? GAME?! That was no game; that was my dad's work!"

<No,> he said like he knew better than me. I growled angrily as he continued, <It was a game. You had to find the errors in the instructions.> Then, he did that stupid eye-smiling thing. <Oh, I understand. Your father designs games for children.>

Cassie started laughing. I glared at her. She started coughing. In the distance, I heard what was probably Tobias and Rachel.

"No, Ax," I snarled, "he writes software programs for high-tech uses. He was working with astronomers at the observatory. They were designing a program for aiming the radio telescope from the new observatory."

He seemed to consider that, then nodded like I needed his fucking confirmation. <Yes, it could be used for that purpose. But it was so obviously full of errors… I assumed it was a child's game.>

"If you say 'game' again, I swear I'm going to punch you," I snapped. Rachel came up behind me and grabbed my shoulder, surprising me. She gave me a warning frown.

"It's actually not a game, Ax," said Cassie, "and you need to listen to us. Marco's dad is flipping out, and Jake is over there right now proving that he couldn't have possibly advanced our technology by that much on purpose."

"Don't you get it?" Rachel demanded. "What if Peter's boss or coworkers are Controllers? Don't you think they might guess it was an Andalite who came up with it?"

Ax back-stepped more this time. Even wavered slightly. His eyes were wide. An expression of shock, I guessed. "I think he just got it," I grumbled.

<What is a radio telescope?>

I shrugged. "Like I would know? What am I, a science teacher?"

"A radio telescope is a telescope that sees by picking up radio waves and other radiation from outer space," Cassie said. I glanced at her, and she added, "Not all of us sleep through science class, Marco."

<I see. A primitive sensor. Yes, that would make sense. Of course, with the changes I made…>

He was thinking about something. Math. That was what Rachel called it when I did it. Suddenly, I could see why it annoyed her. "What? What about the changes you made?"

<The changes I made would only…> But he dropped off again, deep in thought.

"Ax, what are you hiding now!" Rachel demanded.

When he didn't reply, I scowled. It was one thing to have not yet meshed with the group. It was another to be actively plotting in secrecy.

Okay… See, looking back, I see where that falls apart. But at the time, my focus was on Ax. "Ax, Rachel asked you a question," I said. "What's going on with you?"

<I am not hiding anything,> he lied straight to our faces. <Nothing at all.>


	3. Return of the Stranger (Aximili & Elfangor backstory)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 8574.Q…

<In this arm of the galaxy, we have a minor Yeerk target, Sector 17, YD-22318-3. It features a vast variety of species, but only one dominant sentient species, called Human. They are social and live in artificial constructs similar to the Anati.>

Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill was not actually paying attention. He was surreptitiously noticing the small blade of another classmate. She caught him looking, glared, and curled her outer fingers at him. He flustered and looked away.

<They have two arms, two legs, no tail, and very little fur, the majority of which is concentrated on the top of the head, at the groin, and in the cleft where the arm joins the body, though it may or may not appear in other areas. If a human has much fur, they will go to great lengths to arrange it in designs. Because of the lack of protection normally offered by fur, they are very concerned, like a very few species we have studied with similar afflictions, with the addition of artificial skins.>

The small-bladed classmate that had made the rude gesture had been looking forward with all four eyes. The instructor finally noticed her. <Yes, -Corill-Darrath?>

<As such bumbling, primitive creatures, what could the Yeerks possibly want with them?>

<Bodies?> someone else suggested with amusement.

<Obviously, there is an element of familiarity, given the similarity to their first hosts,> the instructor answered condescendingly.<There is also the ease of acquisition as we are not, at this point, protecting that sector.>

<Similarity?> the classmate argued. <Obviously? Because they are lumpy, somewhat upright bipeds? And I suppose that a flaar is similar to a-->

<That is enough -Corill-Darrath. Remember who is the student here. You have no expertise from which to spe-->

That was when another adult ran up to gathered class. He was not recognized. <I'm here to retrieve Esgarrouth,> he said sharply.

Aximili pulled his feet under him, preparing to stand. <I am -Esgarrouth-Isthill,> he said.

<Come. You will be a witness in the courts.>

Aximili immediately stood and began to go to the adult. <Court? Why would I be needed in court?>

<You are not needed. It is your right to bear witness as a relative,> he said, leading Aximili away from the class gathered out on the grass.

<A _relative_? > the little boy repeated, alarmed. <Have my parents done something to displease--?>

<Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul has returned.>

There was a time when the Andalite courts were held in the open air in a large grassy bowl shaped by their soil architects for the most convenient arrangement of participants and witnesses. Times had changed though, and the bowl was sealed within a transparent dome. There were massive Shredder cannons dotting the perimeter outside. The entrance tunnel was equipped with radiation and biological scrubbers, should they be needed, as well as Shredders. There were interior tunnels that led to Dracon shelters. If, somehow, the Yeerks had broken in through the Andalite fleet and attacked the homeworld several minor temporal units earlier, then he and his classmates would have run to one such shelter.

There he stood, in the center, before the other adults. Officials. Aximili thought he recognized a war prince from the informative broadcasts. Elfangor himself was much older than the most recent images of the missing aristh. He looked quite a bit like their father. He wasn't particularly strong or impressive-looking. Perhaps he had spent his time among rogue vessels instead of abandoned on the Taxxon homeworld, as was thought. In the old images, Aximili had thought that his unknown brother carried himself like their mother, but, in that court, the young man stood with crossed arms and tilted hips and carefully blank features.

It was entirely un-Andalite.

Aximili's mother called him over to her and his father in private thoughtspeak. The boy went, but he kept eyes on Elfangor and the court all the while.

<Please repeat,> said an administrator. <You were _where_? >

Elfangor moved his shoulders up and down. A completely alien gesture. <Earth,> he repeated.

<That is not a recognized location in our database,> said a different administrator. <Please, refer to the planet by its desig-->

<I did not know of it, last I was with the... with us. Therefore, I have no Andalite designation code for it. I can tell you only that the Humans call it 'Earth.'>

His wording made Aximili nervous, and their father tensed next to Aximili. His words sounded like... Aximili did not know what they sounded like. They did not sound like a good warrior.

<Humans?> the administrator repeated, surprised. And the officials looked at each other.

Elfangor narrowed his eyes. <Yes?>

<Earth is the name of a Human-habited location?>

<It is the name of their homeworld.>

<Were you aware of the Yeerk presence on the Human homeworld while you were there?>

Finally, an Andalite expression on his face. Something that finally assured his family and the court that he was still really himself.

Pure horror.

It disappeared quickly. He moved his head side to side like he was trying to wipe the thought off. <No. No, I had no idea.> He moved his hands to his sides. <I will give you any and all information you need in order to move against their Earth presence.>

The administration scoffed at the idea. <We are not interested in Earth.>

Elfangor was floored, perhaps even saddened. <What?>

<Sector 17 is not a priority at this time.>

<You don't under--!>

<We will direct this briefing -Sirinial-Shamtul, and you will give us any and all information you have no matter what our plans.>

The expression drained from Elfangor's face. His arms crossed in front of him once more. But the blade of his tail stroked up along the length of his back. <Yes, of course, sir.>

Aximili glanced up at his parents and said privately, <If he was on _that_ planet, then it is a good thing that he finally got away. >

<Yes,> his father agreed. <Let us hope that it is a truly good thing.>

His mother flustered nervously. <To have left while the time was good… What would have become of him if he had stayed?>


	4. A Little Understanding (Cassie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My name is Cassie. Just over three months ago, an alien landed in front of me, my friend Rachel, her cousin Jake, and his friend Marco, as well as another friend, Tobias. The alien’s name was Elfangor, and he was an Andalite Prince.
> 
> He warned us about the Yeerks. He told us that they were a parasitic species that invades a body through the ear canal and takes over the brain. Invading aliens that wanted to make puppets of humanity.
> 
> He gave us a power to defend ourselves. Me and Marco, we got the ability to morph. The ability to become any animal we touch. An incredibly ability before only held by Andalites.
> 
> And then he died. He was devoured by Visser Three, who has the same weapon thanks to his Andalite host.
> 
> Then, over two months ago, we received a help message from Elfangor’s brother, who was trapped in a part of their Dome ship that had fallen under the sea. We were able to rescue him, to include him on the team.
> 
> But now I wonder if it’s enough. We don’t seem able to give him what he needs. He doesn’t seem to truly trust us, to be part of this group. And I wonder what kind of rescuers we really are. What good we really do. If we can really help him at all.

I woke up at 4:30, before the alarm. I wouldn't have to get up for almost another hour, but… well, I guess I'm a bit bothered by some of the things I've seen. It makes it difficult to sleep sometimes.

I decided to relax my mind by going out for a run. I didn't put on running shoes. I put on my morphing outfit.

Galloping through the tall grass at the very end of the property, I soon heard other hooves, too. Ax? What was he doing up so early? (Late?)

I began to demorph, concentrating on my face and neck so I could speak to him by the time he got to me. His hooves pounded grass with a softer sound than mine had. They were smaller, and so was he.

As he approached the farm, he began to slow. He turned to head back to the forest.

"You might as well hang around for a while," I told him. I wasn't done demorphing, but I had to speak then or never.

He hesitated, then turned back. <Cassie?> His bright eyes peered into the darkness and looked me over. <You morphed a horse.>

"I do that sometimes. I like running. But don't tell Marco. He'd be mad at me using morphing for personal things."

Ax seemed to acknowledge this. <If that were to happen, perhaps you could simply ask Jake to speak up for you, since the two of them are close.>

That surprised me. "Why do you think Jake would take my side?"

<Do you not sometimes hold hands and intertwine your fingers?>

I blushed and avoided his gaze. "Oh, um, you weren't supposed to see that."

<Why not?>

I couldn't give the "complicated" line. Ax liked complicated things. "Um, it's kind of a long story," I said. "Just forget it, okay? How is your study of humans going?"

He pawed at the ground. <Well, I believe. I have read Jake's World Almanac.>

I smiled. Of course Jake gave him the World Almanac. "So, what do you think?"

<I think humans are interesting.>

I smirked at that, I couldn't help it. I think, often times, Ax was more similar to us than he realized. "Uh-huh," I said. "What do you _really_ think?"

<I think there is a second reason why the Yeerks wish to enslave your species,> he admitted.

I was silent for a moment. I hadn't really wanted to talk about Yeerks. Unlike the others, it wasn't something I was comfortable dwelling on. But it was what was on Ax's mind; it would be unfair to dismiss it. "Aside from being able to have a lot of human hosts? Why?"

<They're afraid of you.>

"Afraid of us? Why?" I laughed. It seemed so silly. All Ax ever talked about was how primitive we were. "Have you been reading all the stuff about wars? Humans aren't just about fighting wars. It may seem that way, but--"

<Every species fights wars,> I said. <In the past, Andalites made war on other Andalites. And the Hork-Bajir used to have a biological time clock that set them all warring every sixty-two years. As for the Taxxons… they are cannibals.>

I was growing uncomfortable again. "Yeah, well, we humans haven't been exactly perfect."

<Every species has something to be ashamed of,> he said. <Every species carries some terrible guilt.>

And I felt, in that moment, like maybe he did understand. Maybe we had made too much (or too little) of Andalites, based on our experience. Maybe they had their own dark, painful history.

Maybe he was afraid we'd find it out.

"So if it isn't the wars that bother you, what is it?" I asked.

<You discovered radioactivity in 1896. In 1945 you exploded an atomic weapon. Forty-nine years. In 1903 you flew for the first time. Sixty-six years later, you landed on your moon.>

I laughed. "You really did read the World Almanac, didn't you?" I considered what he said. "You're saying we do things quickly?"

<I'm saying that if the Yeerks don't destroy you now, they may know that very soon from from now, humans will be capable of faster-than-light travel. A mere century from now… who knows?>

That really struck me. Being human, this had all seemed the normal course of things. "How long did it take you Andalites to do those things?"

He mostly did not look at me. <I... I do not remember.>

I was disappointed. I wished that he could trust us. That was probably asking a lot from the situation. So I just said, "I see."

<I...> He hung his head. <I am bound by my oath as an Andalite warrior. We must never give Andalite technology to any other species, and we try not to, you know, talk about ourselves to other species.>

Well, that explained a lot. If it was true, then he was trusting me more than I'd thought just to tell me that much. Still, I felt the need to push, to show him how honesty could be important. "Not even if it might help us beat the Yeerks?" I asked. "But isn't that what your brother did, when he gave us the power to morph?"

Ax visibly recoiled. I had no idea what I'd said. I thought he idolized his brother.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked.

He seemed to consider his answer. After a moment, he said, <I'm not Elfangor. I'm more like you. Just a young one. Elfangor was a great prince. My people might understand and forgive what Elfangor did, because he was an important person.>

He must have felt intimidated. Maybe he had doubts that we were worth it. "I see," I said. "You know what? Why don't you morph to human later and come inside? You could meet my mom and dad. Have dinner."

<I have eaten already.>

Right. That must have been why he was running. Of course, he hadn't been doing it for the same reason as me. "Okay… well… If you change your mind, you do have a Jake morph, and he has a standing invitation, so… Let me know."

<I will keep this in mind,> he promised.

I smiled again before beginning my owl morph to fly back to my bedroom. He turned and galloped away.

I don't think that conversation went the way it was supposed to.

* * *

Everyone was in the barn. If me, Jake, Marco, and Rachel could possibly constitute "everyone."

"Does anyone know where the hell Tobias and Ax are?" Marco demanded.

I shrugged. "I haven't seen Ax since this morning."

"Did you tell him about the meeting?"

"I thought Tobias did," I answered.

"Well, for future reference, it doesn't hurt to double tell," he said.

I nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

"What are we meeting about?" asked Jake.

"It's Tobias's plan, actually," Marco said, with another look around. "We weren't sure if we should bring it up until we were more sure, especially with everyone being on edge at the time, but I decided that if I'm going to make an honesty policy, then I should stick to it. So...

"While we were in the… _supposed_ future and lost track of Tobias…" He glances around at us. "Do you remember what Tom was doing when the Savior's Resistance attacked? What they were targeting?"

I frowned. I'd rather not think about those things. Jake shook his head. But Rachel thought carefully and, a few seconds later, answered, "He was shouting something about Kandrona."

Marco nodded. "They were targeting the same system we've been looking to hamstring."

Jake seemed to understand. "So while Rachel and I were…"

Marco coughed. "Indisposed?" he suggested. "And the rest of us were running… Tobias, apparently, stayed behind. To see them target the Kandrona. To see where it was. What it looked like."

"Things were different in that scenario," I said.

He nodded again. "I know. But it gives us a much better hint than we had before. I don't think the Drode intended for us to see that."

"If he's an ally, maybe he did," Rachel suggested.

Jake groaned. "Are we going to guess about this again?"

"No," said Rachel. "I just thought it was worth pointing out that when he's playing hard to get the way he is, we don't know that he's an enemy."

"I'm not ready to call anyone who plays hard to get an 'ally,'" Marco grumbled as the barn doors opened. Ax stepped in, in his Marco + me morph. I'm not entirely sure that'd be any easier to explain to my parents than an Andalite. "Speak of the Devil," Marco grumbled.

I shot him a look. "That isn't fair."

"What isn't fair?" asked Ax.

"Where have you been, Ax?" Jake asked, changing the subject.

"I am sorry for being late," Ax said, not answering.

Marco growled and leaned forward. "And you, Tobias?"

I didn't hear a reply. I guess Tobias must have been with him but too weak for me to see. It happened when the team was weak. When we lacked faith in Tobias or excluded him. I didn't think we were doing that lately but… he had been through a lot lately and…

And he was close to Ax.

I saw, then, where Marco's anger was coming from. He was predicting a fracture in our team, and he didn't like it. "The plan," I said quickly. "We were discussing the plan?"

Marco crossed his arms and leaned back again. "I said what I knew. The rest was supposed to be Tobias investigating. If he's had the time."

Jake and Rachel both turned toward Ax. I heard nothing more than a noise that could be mistaken for a malfunctioning radio somewhere in the barn. "Hold on," I said. "Let me turn on Ax's thing."

I moved to the ladder and moved a bale in the loft aside, turning on the switch to Ax's more recent model of ghost lamp, which shined from above. Tobias blinked into view. "See me?" he asked, and I nodded. As I climbed down, he repeated, "The future Yeerk base was in was in the bottom of a skyscraper. The landscape of the city had changed almost entirely."

Rachel groaned. "Great. Well, that's--"

"But I was actually able to find that particular tower after looking around long enough."

I think everyone was surprised by that. "You did? It's already here?"

"Yeah, the EGS tower," he said. "The Kandrona's on the top floor, still. It'll be hard to get up there. I know it was for me."

"If we destroy the Kandrona, will that somehow change the future?" Rachel asked, and the question seemed very sudden. It brought us all back to a place that we didn't want to be.

"That was not the future," Jake insisted, and again, there was something in his voice and in his eyes that chilled me.

"Okay, but under the assumption that it could have been…" she pressed.

"I dunno," I said. "I think maybe we're already changing the future. Now that we know about it, every choice we make will be weighed against it. It will be altered because of this, an experience those people hadn't had or they would have recognized us and made allowances for our appearance. Things are connected in millions of ways. They say a single butterfly, beating its wings, can start a tornado halfway across the world."

Ax seemed curious. <How does the butterfly know when to beat its wings?> he asked.

I shrugged.

"It doesn't," said Rachel. "I guess it beats its wings the best it can, and hopes it will all work out. It's a butterfly. It just does what butterflies do."

Marco looked at her carefully. Then, he grinned. "So what do _we_ do, Xena, Warrior Princess?"

She posed dynamically and enthusiastically. "We kick Yeerk butt!"

After the meeting adjourned, I pulled Marco aside. "Marco, you can't do that again."

"Do what?"

"Go off on Ax like that."

Marco scowled. "But he--!"

"But Jake! But Tobias! But Rachel!" I mimicked. "We're _all_ pushing each other's buttons all the time and running our personal business behind each other's backs. We're not that close, and neither are you to us. Until recently, you were willing to adapt to it."

Marco pulled his arm from me and scowled at the floor. Finally, he looked at me. "Cassie, they could have found my dad. They could have found us. We could all be dead or worse."

I scowled. "That was an accident, Marco, and you know it."

"It's an accident that wouldn't have happened if he'd listened to me!"

"So the first time you were told not to touch the oven, you obeyed?"

Marco looked away again.

I tried to touch him to reassure him, but he pulled away again. "Marco, you're the leader. You can't be angry at us. You can't exclude us. We rely on you to tie us together."

He glared sideways at me. "What's to say that he _is_ one of us?"

"Marco!"

He was angry again. "No, I'm serious, Cassie! He keeps all these secrets from us. He lies about why. Now, he's bringing Tobias into it?"

"At least he's got _someone_ on his side!"

"Cassie don't--"

" _You_ don't!" I yelled. "This isn't your job, Marco! If you have a problem with him, go and tell him to his face!"

"But I--"

"No. Shut up," I told him, as angry as he was. "We have a mission to fight. We have a war to win. So just… Just stop!" And then I stormed out. I wish I'd been a lot more dignified about it than I actually was. Instead, I cried right in front of him.


	5. Turnabout (Jake)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My name is Jake, and I’m dead. You’d think that’d be the worst thing that could happen to a guy, but it turns out there’s a whole galaxy of nightmares waiting out there. Me and my friends? We’re the only ones standing between them and you.
> 
> You’re welcome.

Two identical ospreys landed in a branch over our heads as Rachel and I sat pretending to eat at a picnic bench in the strip of grass passing itself off as a park across from the EGS Tower. It was mostly somewhere for the dogs in the nearby apartment to poop. Both Rachel and I wore baseball caps in case there happened to be any security cameras.

I picked at the burger while talking to Rachel. I made gestures with the food in my hand. I put it back down. I put a fry on her side jokingly. I dropped a bit for the pigeons. No one passing would have any idea that we hadn't eaten a bite. We could, but it wasn't a satisfying experience. It was easier to just be tricky. A little bit fun, too, if I can be honest.

"There are dozens of businesses and law firms and stuff in this building," I said casually. "Most of them are probably just normal people. And since we're going in the middle of the day, like a pack of goddamn morons, they'll all be there."

"No vampires, though," Rachel said, taking Marco's side. She didn't glance up when she added that on, though. She was learning, though she'd never admit it to Marco. "There is, however, a guard."

<Can you get past him without hurting him?> Cassie asked.

Rachel grinned and flipped her hair. Either she didn't realize that it looked to passersby like she was flirting with me or she didn't care.

Marco groaned in our heads. <You make me learn things about humanity I didn't want to know.>

<When we were flying over the tower, we could feel heat coming off of it,> Cassie said. <Thermals. The rising warm air that helps birds fly. There has to be a lot of heat for that. Much more than the usual machinery in offices. We think that confirms what Tobias said about it being in the very top.>

<Speaking of,> said Marco, <where the fuck is Tobias?>

"He and Ax haven't shown up," I muttered.

<Where are they?> he demands.

I shrugged.

<Shit. Stay there. Cassie, let's do a quick scout. We've been in morph too long to go straight into the mission anyway.>

One osprey took off, and, after a moment, so did the other one. I know they went swooping off in opposite directions, but I quickly lost track of them. After several minutes, Cassie returned. Another minute later, so did Marco. <No sign,> he admitted.

"Do we want to do this with two thirds of our team? Two morphers, two vamps? Without the guy who found the Kandrona?" I asked.

Marco's feathers did that agitated bird thing where the feathers go up and then slowly lower down again. I guess when you're using animal instincts to functions, it's hard not use them to show your emotions. <We've been awfully suspicious already. Do we want to be suspicious two days in a row. Three? Four?>

<We don't have to come back tomorrow. We could try again in a week or two,> said Cassie.

<I have "a guest" in two weeks,> Marco argued.

<Okay, well, not then, but after then-->

<Fine,> snarled Marco, <because Tobias and Ax are fucking around with secret Andalite shit, we'll strike the Yeerk food supply _after_ they've pulled in three more weeks of prisoners. Killed three more weeks of people they've found to be useless. Broken three more weeks of families. Ruined three more weeks of lives. >

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "What do you want us to do?"

<I WANT TO KNOW--!>

Apparently, I slammed the table.

Apparently, it cracked all the way across to Rachel.

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Finally, Marco said, <I'm sorry. To, uh, everyone. And I'll make sure 'everyone' hears that later. I'm frustrated, and I've been mean. I… I'm…>

He was frightened, I suddenly realized. He was scared shitless. How could I have so easily forgotten what it was like to be a little boy with a world of horror on his shoulders? He had no idea what Ax's secrets meant for the team, and now… for all he knew, two of our friends were dead or captured, and it could be his fault. 

I nodded, interrupting. "I agree. We'll draw attention to ourselves if we work on this much longer. If they want to be excluded, they have that right. We can address it later."

Rachel grinned broadly and nodded. "I'm in!" she chirped happily.

"Of course, you are." I threw a fry at her, purposefully missing.

<What's the plan?> asked Cassie.

<Cassie and I will go to the roof. Jake and Rachel go into the lower levels and cause as much havoc as possible without dying. Hopefully, we should see some distraction from the Yeerks and be able to land and demorph, get in and battle morph. We'll go for the Kandrona and hope that-->

"Blah blah blah paranoia stuff," Rachel snorted grabbing our new masks from under the table. After she'd gotten the hockey mask disintegrated, she'd "somehow" obtained two black mesh face masks that did more for protecting our identities and less for protecting our skulls. Though, since I'd never been the one with the helmet, that aspect didn't matter much to me. "Let's do this!"

Even though he was an osprey, I'm pretty sure Marco was glowering at her. Rachel and I tucked the masks in our hoodie pockets and headed for the EGS tower. The ospreys took off again. I went through a side door while Rachel made directly for the guard station. I know the guard did see me, but not for long.

Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of people more than a few years older than thirteen are not attracted to thirteen year old girls. The idea that no one can help themselves around a pretty little girl is really dumb, very gross, and proven wrong. The truth of the matter is that Rachel's "distractions" are rarely designed to actually seduce anyone but rather to present an unfathomable reality that is, well, much more distracting than a successful flirtation could ever hope to be.

I was relieved to see the guard raise an eyebrow as Rachel leaned over his desk, react with confusion as she tossed her hair again, freeze up as she flirted, and then react with hostility as she sweetly offered some truly filthy things. I reminded myself that Rachel is actually an adult with an adult life, and yet it relieved me to see others attempt to preserve a childhood long gone.

The distraction was enough for me to slip into the inner offices. I pulled my ball cap low, though really it seemed unlikely for them to have cameras here. Who robs lawyers? After a moment of searching, I found a stairwell down to maintenance. Elevators were too public. Too easy to be cornered.

In the stairwell, I pulled off the cap and pulled the mask over my face. I abandoned the hoodie and cap in a garbage can. I'd already gotten a near-identical replacement at home. It was important that the same outfit wasn't seen leaving after trouble started.

I waited until there was no one near the door and then crept in. I crept along boxes and storage containers for a while, searching for something that looked good while staying hidden. And then I saw it. Across the way. The goddamn fusebox. Or something. I didn't really know how that sort of stuff worked, but I could tell from the arrangement that it operated the building's electricity and that I wanted to fuck it up.

So I found a wrench.

"Jake!"

I dropped the wrench. "AGH!"

A worker turned around as I ducked behind a container. "Is someone there?"

"Tobias, now is a really bad time," I hissed. "We're in the middle of that plan you bailed on."

Tobias hovered nearby. "Sorry. I couldn't find Marco."

"It's a worse time for him!" I gave a long sigh of frustration and glanced around the side of the container. I dared a grab at the dropped wrench. "What's up?"

"I can't tell you," he said.

"You can't?"

"Ax asked me not to. But I was thinking…"

"Get Marco to order it, and Ax can't argue?" I guessed.

Tobias nodded.

"Do we need to do that?" I asked. The worker continued his approach, demanding, stupidly, who was there hiding among the boxes.

Tobias chewed on his lip. He looked worried. "Uh, yeah. I think maybe?"

"Can it wait about a half hour?"

Tobias nodded again. "I think so."

"Okay good." I dodged out from the side of the container, swung the wrench, and cracked the worker on the side of the head. Not as hard as I could. Not anywhere near. Just hard enough to make him cry out. To temporarily disorient him and cause him to hesitate. By that time, the wrench was on the floor, I was around the back of him, and my knife was at his throat. "Cut the power," I ordered. "Now."

* * *

The Hork-Bajir swung his bladed right arm like a scythe. It would have hit the rattlesnake in the neck.

SLICKT!

Luckily for Ax, I had nicked a fire axe on the way out of the EGS Tower.

The snake turned toward me and flicked its tongue. <Jake?>

"No, it's motherfucking Paul Bunyan, you asshole."

<KILL THEM!> The Visser ordered angrily.

Rachel did not have a knife, a wrench, or an axe. She had two Dracon pistols, four "boring-ass" years of marksmanship in the 80s, and a "good sitting tree."

TSEEEEW! TSEEEEW! TSEEEEW! Hork-Bajir Controllers dropped like flies. The first one to run at me and the demorphing alien got an axe to the gut.

As confusion and panic broke the ranks, a moose and gorilla charged in and truly brought chaos raining down. Controllers that didn't have the good sense to flee were sent flying after the ones that did.

<You came to save me?> asked Ax.

<It's not like we're a team or anything,> Marco snipped.

"Finish demorphing, you Andalite idiot!" Rachel called from the tree Marco was pulling a Hork-Bajir off of. "Then we'll kick some Yeerk butt!"

Tobias reappeared, flickering and vaguely bluish. He snapped his arms aside, and Controllers flew out from him. It gave me pause. There were times, lately, that it was easy to forget he was even real. But there were also times that I looked at him and I was genuinely afraid.

Suddenly, he was next to me. "Two Hork-Bajir guarding the Bug fighters," he said. "One Hork-Bajir in the--" TSEEEEW! He glanced toward Rachel's target. "Nevermind. Visser Three and two Hork-Bajir in the center of the meadow."

I relayed the message to Ax, who relayed it to the others. He was mostly demorphed now.

<Who wants to have a heart-to-heart with Visser Three?> Marco asked.

<He's my responsibility,> Ax said. <I have an obligation of honor.>

Rachel gave the thumbs up from her tree. We'd already been prepared for that answer, stupid as it was. We were here to back Ax up, not argue cultural superiority. He glanced at me with one stalk eye. <How long has Tobias been gone from me?>

"Only long enough to find us."

<He broke his promise?>

"Not at all. He watched you, emulated you, and did what you would have done: He went to his Prince for guidance." I shrugged. "And that Prince ordered him to divulge."

I think what I saw then, just before that fearsome Andalite tail detached some lizard's arm, was a smile in his eyes.

More Controllers flew back away at Tobias's fearsome force of will. But to the Controllers protecting him, something scarier was approaching: an Andalite.  <Your Visser is finished,> Ax told them. <You can die with him, or you can run.>

They ran.

Marco snorted. <Guess no one wants to die for that jackass.>

Visser Three was down, on the ground, successfully poisoned but not killed. He looked after the way the Hork-Bajir had gone sullenly. Tobias frowned. "Isn't this the part where he starts yelling a lot? Only met him a couple times, but he does seem to like his yelling."

Ax raised his blade high in preparation to strike, but Marco's gorilla punched the ground in frustration. <The Yeerk bailed, didn't it?> he said publicly.

Ax hesitated. He glanced at Marco with one stalk eye, his main two on the Andalite before him, and the other scanning the meadow and forest. The larger, shaggier Andalite on the ground remained silent.

<ANSWER ME!> Marco demanded.

<… Yes,> said Visser Three's host.

It was barely a whisper in our minds, but the words were powerful. Ax's tail fell downward, and he reeled backward. He looked horrified. Because he'd been denied revenge? Because he'd nearly killed an innocent man by mistake? The same man would have died either way…

<Kill me,> the Andalite managed to gasp. <Kill me before he takes me over again. Please. Please kill me.>

I realized how weak he was. Far weaker than the Visser had been when we entered the meadow. I suspected that not all of this was from snake venom. This was the longterm effect of full Control.

I saw Ax's knees wobble like a newborn foal. <I may already have killed you, my friend,> he said. <The snake…>

<No. You don't understand. Visser Three… he has backup forces ready. They'll be here in minutes. Half a dozen Bug fighters. They'll keep this body alive, your poison is too slow.>

<I… but you're an Andalite. I can't kill you,> Ax said desperately. <I can't…>

<He'll take me again,> the Andalite said, begging. <The Yeerks will find him and bring me to him again. Please. I can't live that way… _please_. The things I've seen… you don't understand. It's horrible. >

He tried to raise his own Andalite tail. He tried to bring the blade to his throat. But he was weak. His tail fell limp. He was making a point to Ax of his inability to kill himself, the bastard, but Ax still did not move toward him.

<I understand,> he said at last. <You are a child. And I know what I am to you. But I deserve a good death, do I not? My wife, my children, they deserve to rest…>

<If he's right about those forces, we should go soon,> Cassie said privately.

Ax looked weak. I shook my head, put my hand on his arm, and pulled him gently back. "You're right," I said. "He's a child. One day, by the rules of your people, he's going to have to sacrifice that childhood in his brother's memory. But not for you. No matter what you deserve, it's his right to ignore you and end his childhood in the time and way that he pleases."

Cassie's moose stepped forward towards us. <Jake…> she said privately, <what are you doing?>

I hefted my axe onto my shoulder and stepped in front of the Andalite. "But if this is really what you want, really and truly, we can leave the children out of it. We'll handle it, the two of us, monster to monster."

He stared at me for a long moment. And then he repeated, <Please.>

And I swung the axe down without hesitation.


	6. Pride and Politics (Aximili & Elfangor backstory)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 8576.C...

Aximili clutched the crystal as he ran to his family's scoop. He found Elfangor where he always found Elfangor lately, in the data laboratory at the very back of the scoop, so enclosed that no proper Andalite should want to spend the amount of time there that Elfangor seemed to think nothing of spending.

<Brother!> he called. <Brother, Instructor -Callin-Irath says that my chart is vaguely flyable! Do you wish to see it?>

<No,> Elfanfor said before Aximili had even presented the crystal to him.

Aximili lowered the crystal. <Oh.> He could not keep his disappointment out of his voice.

After the passing of several minor temporal units, Elfangor allowed one stalk eye to leave a hologram and glance at the little child. He sighed heavily. <I… I am sorry, Aximili, but I am working.>

<You have worked since you arrived. For one solar cycle and thirteen lunar cycles,> Aximili protested. <Why can you not work with _me_? >

<Because this is actually important,> Elfangor huffed.

Aximili stepped backward. <I am not important?>

<That is not what I said.>

<But it _is_ what you said. >

Elfangor resisted. <Aximili, there is a whole planet out there being attacked by-->

<You mean the Humans?> Aximili asked. <What makes them so much more special than the Sstram and the Taxxons?>

<You--!> Elfangor began to exclaim, but then he held himself back. He hesitated. <Tell me, Aximili, what do you think of Instructor -Callin-Irath?>

<He is a good instructor?> Aximili guessed, unsure what his brother wanted to know.

<But what do you think of your instructors?>

<It is good to have instructors!> Aximili said, brightly, proud for the opportunity to accurately repeat what he had heard in school. <Without instruction, we would be lost. We must all rely on the military and on the authority of our elders.>

Elfangor's face was carefully blank again, but he was studying Aximili with all four eyes. It was eerie, and it disturbed the little boy. <And what do you think of Administrator -Frodlin-Corain when he comes around?>

Aximili thought for a moment on what his parents said and what the administrator said and what the broadcasts had said. What he did not think about were the things that his brother said. And did not say. At such young an age, it was second nature to recognize and remove that which did not fit, just as it was to think in an verbal language. Finally, he answered, just as proudly as before, <I'm very glad to be lucky enough to be part of a family with the attention of an administrator. I do not know much of Administrator -Frodlin-Corain personally, but his interest is appreciated, and I know that he is a long-standing figure in the Planetary Administration. Our family must be proud to have a relationship with him.>

Elfangor was cold and statuesque at this point. His tail hung loose about his back left leg. <And what do you think of the military, brother?>

Aximili brightened greatly on this point. <The Andalite Military is the most powerful force in the galaxy! I bet even the cluster! We are intelligent and advanced and fearsome! This is why the Andalite has no natural predator. We are the height of this planet's evolution.>

Elfangor glanced back at his displays with one eye while another glanced into the more open areas of the scoop. <Thank you, Aximili.> He started to turn away.

Aximili danced slightly. <Why do you ask these questions, brother?>

<I… wanted to measure something…> Elfangor smiled at him. Elfangor did not smile much, and something about it seemed off to Aximili.

<Are you going to tell me what you are doing?> the small child asked.

<No,> Elfangor decided resolutely. <Perhaps, one day, the specifics of my work will be something that I can share with you. But now, in the state of your innocence…> A stalk eye glanced at Aximili again. And then away. <I do not wish to break your heart.>

Aximili shuffled his stance again in confusion. <I do not understand that phrase, brother.>

<Nev-- Dismiss it,> said Elfangor. <I will look at your chart later this night.>

<When you are weary of work?> the child pressed, unsatisfied.

Elfangor sighed again. <If you are willing to wait, then not only will I look, but I shall offer recommendations on creating reliably accurate charts.>

Adequately bribed, Aximili immediately fled the space. Elfangor watched him go, then brought back up the hologram he had quickly dismissed the moment he had noticed the approach of someone. The Andalite stock of Earth broadcasts, narrowed to dialect parameters he had set himself. He knew, of course, that his actions could be seen in the access database, but he could not help himself. All the while that he worked, he kept an eye and an ear to that particular hologram, searching for a face that he knew he wouldn't see and listening for news that he didn't wish to hear.


	7. Cruelty (Aximili)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, and I am no longer certain that all I know is true and right. Furthermore, I no longer believe that it is important to be certain in this. There are… other things… that I believe I should perhaps hold more dear.
> 
> I have come to a decision, and, as humans say, it is a decision that breaks my heart.
> 
> Luckily, I have two.

As Jake approached the meadow I had taken up residence in, Prince Marco suddenly gagged and clamped his hands over his mouth. "Jake! Is that supposed to be cologne?"

"It's some of Dan's," Rachel grumbled, "and we didn't have a choice. _Six_ showers, and he still reeked of Andalite. It was okay for Tom and Steve and Jean, but if he were to walk past a vamp-Controller or wolf-Controller?"

"I didn't know it was going to be that profuse," Jake pouted before sitting at the edge of the meadow clearing.

"Really?" Prince Marco said. "These last few battles… your vampire experience… and you didn't know it was going to do that?"

"Actually, I've seen a lot of blood fountains, and that was rather impressive," said Rachel. "I guess it's the two hearts."

I was alarmed by this comment. <How did you know that we have two hearts?>

"We're blood suckers," Jake grumbled. "We can hear it."

"I am so uncomfortable with this conversation," Cassie groaned.

"She started it!" Jake protested.

Rachel grinned and shrugged. "Sorry," she said. I do not think she was actually very sorry.

More over, I was bothered by what had been revealed. <Are you saying that you feel a predatory instinct toward me?>

"What?" Jake said. "No! God, no! Opposite! Could not less. No."

"Worse than werewolves," Rachel assured me.

"Thanks," Prince Marco snipped.

"I think that's a slight exaggeration given that I'm not a puddle right now," Jake protested.

Rachel shook her head. "In your situation, I'd rather be dead."

"Thanks?"

"Guys, I don't think this is what Ax asked us here to talk about," Prince Marco interrupted. He looked at me. "Ax?"

<Correct. Yes… I…> I ground my hoof against the grass. <I haven't been very… open with you since my arrival and inclusion on this team.>

Prince Marco nodded. "To be honest, you haven't always been included, either. And I'm sorry for that. I'll try to--"

<No, I understand. I am the outsider here…>

Prince Marco appeared confused. Cassie shook her head. "No, that doesn't matter, Ax."

<It is what we would do,> I explained patiently.

"That doesn't make it right," Prince Marco insisted.

<Doesn't it?> That was something I would have to think about.

I felt a chill where Tobias attempted to touch my shoulder. The ghost lamp, or this version of it, did not work as well outdoors as it did indoors, but I could perceive him when he was within the meadow more often than not. "Ax, what did you want to talk about?" he asked.

<The fact is…> I began, <I am disallowed from discussing certain things.>

Cassie nodded. "You said there was an oath not to share tech or talk about yourselves?"

The others glanced at her but largely remained quiet. Rachel crossed her arms and tilted her hips. "Is that true?"

<Yes,> I explained. <It is called the Law of Seerow's Kindness.>

"You consider the law kind?" Cassie asked.

<No,> I answered. <The law is because we were kind.>

Tobias flickered closer to the front of me. What little expression he had was that of human concern. "I don't understand."

<The law states that we do not transfer advanced technology to any other race or species,> I explained. <It is a very important law. One of our most important laws.>

"They don't want competition?" Prince Marco snarled, and Cassie squeezed his arm. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry."

"Ax, what does this have to do with kindness?" asked Rachel.

<Seerow was a great Andalite,> I explained. <A warrior. A scientist. He…> I hesitated. Was I sure that I wanted to do this? I glanced again at Rachel. At her difficult-to-read expression, her crossed arms, and her tilted hips, and I knew what I had begun to suspect was true. There was something of Earth in my brother, and to choose his path would mean abandoning parts of my Andalite identity in order to accommodate something of Earth within myself. <He was in charge of the first Andalite expedition to the Yeerk homeworld.>

I saw my human friends stiffen. There was a small gust around Tobias. As I feared, they were angry with my truth, but that did not mean they deserved to have it denied from them any longer.

I continued, <Seerow felt sorry for the Yeerks. They were an intelligent species. They used a primitive species called Gedds as hosts. But the Gedds were nearly blind, clumsy, not very useful. The Yeerks had never even seen the stars. Let alone been able to leave their own planet. Seerow felt sorry for them. Seerow was a kind, decent Andalite…>

"Oh my God," Cassie whispered. "That's the big secret. That's the shame the Andalites are hiding."

"What?" Rachel asked. "What's the big secret?"

"Seerow gave the Yeerks advanced technology, didn't he?" Cassie asked.

I nodded, mimicking my human friends. Mimicking my brother. <Seerow thought the Yeerks should be able to travel to the stars, as we did. At first, it seemed like the right thing to do. But then… a species called the Nahara… By the time we found out, it was too late. The entire species was enslaved by the Yeerks. Then came the Hork-Bajir. The Taxxons. And other planets… other species were falling to the Yeerk empire. They spread like a disease! Millions of free people have been enslaved or destroyed by the Yeerks. Because of Seerow. Because of us. Because of the Andalites.>

For a while no one spoke. I knew what to expect. These humans had first seen Andalites as heroes. Then they had come to be suspicious. Now I had just confirmed their suspicions. They would see of us… of me… what my brother had seen.

"Elfangor broke the law of Seerow's Kindness, though, right?" Prince Marco finally asked.

<Yes,> I said. <He broke the greatest law of our people. But when I contacted our people, where I was during the meeting, I took the blame for him. Elfangor is… _was_ a great hero. His name would have been destroyed. I'm nobody. I have taken the blame. If I help you, and you humans or your 'types' become a new race of conquerors, if you become the new Yeerks some day, my people will talk about Aximili's Kindness, and I'll be the one who goes down in history as the new example of a fool. Not him. >

Rachel snorted. Cassie visibly relaxed and leaned back against the log Prince Marco was sitting on. Prince Marco and Jake glanced at each other and smirked. Tobias's gusts disappeared.

I was confused. I expected them to be furious. <Don't you understand? Your world is threatened by the Yeerks because of my people.>

"Ax," Rachel said, stepping forward, "have you ever had it out with a bestie, and then they went and did some mad heinous junk behind your back?"

<I… am not sure my chip is translating that correctly,> I admitted.

"Under all that slang, she's asking if you ever broke up with your best friend and they reacted with mean things," Cassie explained.

I thought about that. <I suppose there have been a couple childhood incidents, yes.>

Rachel nodded. "Right, well, back when you were first friending them, maybe there was signs they were shitheads. Maybe there wasn't. Maybe it was all a bit your fault, maybe it wasn't. And maybe there was a lesson in it to learn, but you know what lesson I bet you didn't learn?"

I tilted my stalk eyes. <What is that?>

"To stop trying to make friends ever again."

I laughed. <That would be a ridiculous stance to take.>

Jake smiled. "As ridiculous as assuming no species can be trusted because a parasite decided to be parasitic?"

"Jake, you might not want to use the parasite argument here," Tobias warned, and Jake gestured at him.

"Just because things didn't work out once doesn't mean that the idea was bad," said Cassie. "You reexamine your approach. Get a little wiser. But you don't give up. Not on hope."

"We don't even want Andalite tech," Prince Marco argued. "We don't need you to break laws. We need you to trust us. We need to know where you are when you're gone. We need to get and give the truth. We need to know that we are equal."

<Equal?> I repeated. <How do you expect to maintain rank with equality of individuals?>

Prince Marco laughed. And then he stopped laughing. "Wait, you're serious?" he demanded. "Ax, this 'prince' thing… That was a joke!"

<Have the others not accepted you as leader?> I asked, confused. <Was that not a point of serious contention a few Earth months ago?>

"They're everyone's months," he said quickly. Then he brushed his hair back and looked at me seriously. "Okay, let me explain it this way. You know the US president? We kind of consider him boss. The system's a bit more complicated than that, but, in general, the average US citizen considers him boss. But do you know who he answers to?"

<The United Nations?> I guessed, having read the World Almanac.

"No. Well, yes, but, look, the President answers to, foremost, above all, to the American people. The same people that answer to him. Just because you are lead by someone doesn't mean you can't hold him accountable," Prince Marco explained. "Do you understand what I mean?"

<No.>

He made a noise of distress, and Cassie smiled kindly. "What he's trying to say Ax, is that by choosing a leader, we have clear organization and priorities, but that doesn't make Marco better than us. I'm allowed to tell him when he's being a jerk, and I already have. So have others. And today Tobias came to Marco with a personal problem, wanting help for you even though you were acting outside of the team. That's equality in leadership."

I nodded again. <This is something I will have to think about.>

Tobias put his hand on my shoulder. "That's cool, Ax. No one's asking you to do more than that. We just want you to understand how we work. We want you to trust us. To know that we're not trying to hurt anyone."

"Except to keep dirty Yeerks out of our heads and off our planet," Rachel assured me.

"Your boy Seerow wasn't wrong," Prince Marco said. "He just hooked up with the wrong species. We aren't the Yeerks. We're humans… some of us moreso than others, maybe, but humans nonetheless. Andalites want someone to cruise the stars with them? We're the ones. You bring the spaceships. We'll bring the Raisinets and cinnamon buns."

<You'll do more than that,> I said. <You learn very quickly. Someday you may be greater than the Andalites.>

"No," Jake said. "Because whatever is learned, you'll learn. It'll be done together. Human and Andalite. Andalite and human."

<It isn't possible,> I said. <We are two different species. From two different worlds, a billion Earth miles apart.>

"They're everyone's miles," I heard Prince Marco grumbled under his breath.

"Ax-man?" Tobias said. "Tell me: What does an Andalite want most? What is it you guys are fighting for?"

<For freedom, of course,> I said easily, repeating from the memory of my lessons.

"And what do humans want most?" Tobias asked.

"Freedom," Cassie said easily.

"Freedom," Jake agreed.

"Freedom," Rachel said, nodding her head.

"Freedom," Prince Marco also said, nodding.

"Freedom," Tobias said. "Different bodies, different species, maybe. But who cares? We agree on what matters."

For a few minutes, I said nothing. I guess I felt a little overwhelmed. Then, I realized something that made me laugh. <See? It's happening already,> I said.

"What?" Rachel asked.

<You humans are already teaching Andalites something new,> I said. <You're right. We fight the same battle, for the same goal.>

"The Andalites on your home world may not like that idea," Rachel said.

<No. They won't,> I agreed. <They have their laws and customs. They think they know what's right. If I ever go home, I will have a lot to explain.>

"Maybe so," Tobias said. "But maybe we know one Andalite who would have been proud of you?"

And I was happy to hear him say it. For the first time, since my rescue, I was happy to be reminded of what my brother had done.

"Are you with us?" Prince Marco asked.

<Yes, Prince Marco,> I said.

He laughed and shook his head. "You don't actually have to call me 'Prince,' Ax."

<Yes, Prince Marco,> I said again.


	8. The Dissent of Patriotism (Elfangor & Jahar backstory)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 8581.Z…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special acknowledgement to Pho & Kendra for creating the rest of Jahar's name.

<Next?> asked Administrator -Ellinais-Targouth, slipping the crystal out of the data-dock and handing it to his assistant, Jahar-Ehlea-Muran.

Administrator -Frodlin-Corain kept his head down as he shuffled through holographic data streams.<Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul has been promoted to Prince.>

<Promoted? Again?> demanded Local Advisor -Herrin-Irrallon.

War Prince -Forlan-Terrouss spread his hands. <He is good. He has become very talented in multiple specialties not to mention that the entirety of the public and much of the military consider him a war hero for his selfless attack on that Blade ship.>

<Which is the next item,> said Head of Interplanetary Communications -Celair-Iscar. <We intercepted communication from Sector 17, YD-22318-3 that says they have another of those ships.>

<There are not many Blade ships. Why would they devote such attention to _that_ planet? > asked Administrator -Ellinais-Targouth.

<Actually, I have a different line of questioning,> said Administrator -Frodlin-Corain. <War Prince Ignath-Forlan-Terrouss, is it true that some of our Dome ships have difficulty detecting Blade ships?>

<Assistant, connect to the military diagnostics,> he ordered Jahar-Ehlea-Muran. <Yes, we have not retrofitted older models, since there is rarely a _need_ to detect Blade ships. We now use newer models for homeworld defense and areas we believe they are likely to use them. Of course, every new Blade ship does have updated technology, as much as any Yeerk can be expected to accomplish. >

Administrator -Frodlin-Corain smiled. <And Warrior--  _Prince_ Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul still wishes for a direct investigation of Sector 17, YD-22318-3? >

War Prince -Forlan-Terrouss gestured dismissively. <As he has since his return Homeside.>

<Then,> Administrator -Frodlin-Corain said, <let us honor his promotion by giving him what he wants at last.>

The others were startled by the suggestion. <You cannot be serious.>

<I don't see why not,> he said as he logged his Administrative Passcode into the Military databank. <Let us send the new prince with a Dome ship for a small investigation and clean-up of their little 'invasion'.> He erased the intercepted transmission regarding the Blade ship at Sector 17, YD-22318-3. <And of course, I don't see why they should need a particularly new one for such a simple mission.>

* * *

<Don't you understand?! You are going to die!> said Jahar-Ehlea-Muran under the rocky cliffs where no grass grew.

Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul crossed his arms. <Then let us hope my death serves a purpose.>

<No!> Jahar insisted. <No! I refuse to allow this!>

<And how do you intend to interfere?> he demanded. <My consent is meaningless on the matter. I have my orders.>

<We will move up the usurpation!> she insisted.

<Move up? From 'too impossible to bother' to 'pointless suicide'?> asked Elfangor. <All we have in the military is -Estrif-Valad, -Taldel-Cariss, -Mernin-Dalra, and -Iscar-Elmand. Or would you like to lead your scientists in an insurrection against a well-trained military?>

Jahar seethed with fury and distrust, but she found herself incapable of possibly expressing enough of it to relieve herself. <You owe me more than this!> she cried.

Elfangor hung his head. He stood that way for a long moment before almost nodding. Instead, he forced himself to spread his hands. <Yes, Jahar-Ehlea-Muran, that is true. In allowing the taking of Alloran-Semitur-Corrass, I failed you. The Andalite Military has failed you in their treatment of the matter. The Planetary Administration has failed you in forgetting you and shoving your story and your burden aside.

<But unlike them, I have not forgotten you. I have been your ally, and I am still. And I shall never forget the burden of my debt to you. I promise, if the rumors are true that he is there… If I come within any measure of him… I will free him. One way or the other. With my last breath, with my last bit of will, I will free Alloran or die trying.>

Jahar looked out at the sea. <To live by this oath, you will die without burden to me.>

<I do hope.>

Her main eyes still glared fiercely into his. <But that alone will not relieve the burned of abandoning your people for a world that doesn't even know you.>

Elfangor smiled at her. <But I know them. That is all I need.> He knocked his tailblade against hers playfully. <Besides. What does this planet need of a strange liar of a suicide pilot when they have a loyal and dutiful heroine in their midst?>

Jahar stiffened and distanced her tail from him. <You think a lot of me, Prince.>

<Perhaps I'm not as foolish as you think?>


End file.
